


The A Team

by MadGhostQueen



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:55:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27229213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadGhostQueen/pseuds/MadGhostQueen
Summary: A young reporter gets assigned a very unique case and it gets her into a very sticky situation with The Vagabond of the notorious Los Santos gang, The Fakes.
Relationships: Ryan Haywood/Reader
Kudos: 1





	1. The Beginning

Los Santos was not the easiest city to live in, that is putting it nicely. It was not in my plan to stay here and make a life but, here I am. I spent years and years trying to find a better name for myself but along the way my heart fell in love with this city and shaped me into who I am today. Don’t get me wrong, there are many moments where I want nothing more than to run away and start over with a new identity. Something always stops me though, every single time. Maybe it’s my own mind or something that pulls me deeper into the hidden mysteries of this crime ridden city. 

I started my life in this city in 2004 at the age of fourteen and here I am ten years later, waiting for the perfect time to escape. My parents and I were taking a family vacation down the California coast and passed through Los Santos along the way. There was an accident and I was the only survivor. It took me too long to realize that it was an ambush, that when we had stopped to fill up at a gas station our car had been rigged with a pressure bomb. My dad’s foot on the gas pedal triggered the device and as soon as he let go of the pedal the bomb detonated. I stayed in this city since it was the only memory I have left of my family, but as time has passed their existence has faded from my memory.

I’ve fought every single day through the trials and hardships that come with this city. The only upside to all this is that I have become stronger. I’m starting to believe there is no perfect time. Something is preventing me from leaving this city.

You see, I started off as a soft girl with a heart of gold. I was sympathetic and empathetic to everyone that crossed my path in life. I never got bad grades, never got into any trouble, and my parents often described me as the perfect daughter. I gave everything I had to everyone and always wanted to bring joy and happiness to others to end their misery and pain, even if it wasn’t my burden to bear. Unfortunately, it came to my realization that this type of thinking would only lead to heartbreak and misery. Just like every other lost soul in this city, my heart turned stone cold and black.

I’ve lost all sense of hope, love, security and safety, and I truly believe there is no good in the world. This persona of mine came on as an accident one day when I was caught up in a convenient store robbery at the age of sixteen. I was working as a cashier that day when three robbers came in, black ski masks on, large duffle bags over their shoulders and pistols pointed directly at my head. Something inside me snapped that day and I took matters into my own hands, finally standing up for myself. My life changed that day and those poor bastards that robbed the store ended up in a worse condition than I ever was. That was the same day I was coined with a new name, a new mindset, and a new life.

Los Santos has stolen all romance and love from my life and made me realize there is no such thing as true love or happy endings. There is only birth, suffering, and death. There has never been any consideration for my feelings or well being, there have only been lies and deceit. I’m okay with all of this though. I have accepted that I am not deserving of love or happiness. In a city like Los Santos, there is no such thing as happy endings.

Usually I’m alone and stay out of everyone’s way. I avoid conversations and any human interaction as much as possible. There have been many occasions that people assumed I was either deaf or mute considering I never opened my mouth or spoke a word. Whenever I did speak, people instantly regret it and wish I had just kept my mouth shut. There has always been something more about this city, something special. There’s something that pulls me deeper and deeper every day, but I have yet to find that something.

Until today.

Today started off as an average October morning. I woke up in my shit hole of an apartment to the noise of blaring music, followed not long after by sirens and flashing red and blue lights. I brushed my teeth and hair, got dressed, skipped breakfast, and got into my shitty car to head to work. That was my daily routine and there was nothing about today that made it any different. I was having a difficult time keeping a steady job since I found my footing in this city. I was stumbling around looking for a sense of purpose for a little over two years.

My first job was a convenient store, and yes it was the same way I protected from the robbery when I was sixteen. Next there was a dentist office which gave me a lot of work since people were always busting up their teeth in fights or muggings. There was a bank which was never fun for several reasons, the main being there were robberies every single day and there were more advanced than ones at convenient stores. Next was a clothing store which didn’t receive as many robberies or hold ups, which was a bonus, yet there were still several. That was my last job until about a year ago when I job my current job, a reporter for a newspaper company. Well, I was technically an office assistant for a reporter for a newspaper company.

A year ago, I was filling printers with paper, running errands for everyone, stocking the break room with coffee, cleaning every night before I left, ordering supplies, and everything else I was directed to do. I was the office work monkey, just following whatever orders I was given at that time. I had recently been promoted to entry level journalist for those small articles that no one ever paid attention to. At least I was able to write though, which was the job I had been fighting for for years. My small figure and ability to hide and blend easily into a crowd is what helped me most in my job. I was able to get the pictures nobody else could and eavesdrop on conversations to get the true stories straight from the source.

Today was the day I had been waiting for, I just hadn’t realized it yet. I was assigned an extremely specific case, one that I was never expecting. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be given this case. I walked into the office, the glass door creaking as it shut behind me. I slipped off my leather jacket and tossed it onto the back of my chair. My keys were next to be tossed onto the small wooden desk in front of me.

My knees had just started to bend to sit into my chair when my boss called my name. “In my office, now!” His eyes were red with giant purple bags under them, which meant he hasn’t been sleeping again. Whenever there was an important case, he always had trouble sleeping, which meant this was either going to be really good or really bad. I let out a small sigh and followed my way into his office. The chair I sat down in was much more comfortable than the one at my desk so I took advantage of it for as long as I could.


	2. The Thing That Scares You The Most

“I understand that you’ve been wanting a bigger case.” My boss, Mr. Burns, sat himself down in his own chair and leaned forward onto his elbows with his hands crossed. “It seems today your luck has changed, and things are looking up for you.” I raised an eyebrow and crossed one leg over the other, waiting for him to continue. Mr. Burns cleared his throat and reached down, pulling open one of his desk drawers and retrieving a file before throwing it on the desk in fron of me. I leaned forward in my chair with a small gasp when I saw how big the file was.

My eyes widened as I read the words printed on the side tab. “You’ve got to be joking right? Surely you’re not serious.” I said in disbelief. My eyes met his and considering the look he gave me I could tell he wasn’t joking. He looked very serious but also very apologetic. 

“You want me to do a report on the Fakes? The fucking Fakes?!” I know I must have repeated those words over a handful of times, still not registering everything in my mind. I could tell Mr. Burns was getting annoyed with each passing question seeing that he has to answer the same question every single time. “Why exactly do you want me to cover the story? I’m sure there are other reporters who have been here longer, have more important on the paper, ones that can give you a much better story than someone who writes about the top ten slushie flavors!”

Mr. Burns laughed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “I thought about this all weekend before coming to a decision.” He reached down once again into the same drawer of his desk, pulling out another file. This one was a bit smaller but still quite big. I leaned forward once again and read the name on the side tab. My eyes widened as I read my name, my criminal name, on the side tab.

I was debating between playing dumb or shooting him with the pistol hidden in my boot. Before I could make up my mind he spoke, “Yeah. I know all about who you are and what you’ve done. I must be the only one in this city who recognizes you as both Kelsey and Ghost.” His slight smirk eased my heart rate as well as the fact that he had kept me in his office. 

Hell, he had even promoted me. “As I said earlier, I spent my entire weekend thinking deeply about this. I haven’t slept since Friday, which is probably very obvious at this point, but I digress. You have had a criminal record since the age of sixteen with extremely activity up to as recently as yesterday afternoon.” Mr. Burns leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “You see, I think I’m going to find you very helpful for this specific case.” 

“No one else in this line of business can get into the mind of the criminals. You know how they think and how they react in specific situations. You know the ins and the outs of this world, of their world. I need you on this piece.” His voice lowered to a more serious tone and I could have sworn there was a shakiness as well. I looked onto the desk in between the files and let out a deep sigh after a few moments.

“Okay.” One word was all it took before he smirked and clapped his hand together. “What is it exactly that you need me to do?” He knew he succeeded. I don’t know what it was about him but for some reason he knew exactly what to do and say to get me on board. I had a strong feeling I was going to regret this decision.

“I took the liberty of gathering all the information I could of everyone in the gang.” His next reach into his desk produced a handful of pictures and smaller individual files. Each file had a different name on the side tab. “The only problem is that we can only gather so much information without a more…experienced reporter.” I rolled my eyes at his words but allowed him to continue nonetheless. “We do have one other problem though.”

This time there was a pause as he took a deep breath. Something in his eyes made me instantly develop goosebumps across my arms. “We have around the same amount of information for everyone in the crew, all except one.” There was another pause before he pushed a file towards me. Looking at it I could have sworn it was empty until I opened the file. Part of me wishes I had read the side tab first to prepare myself for what was next.

My breath hitched in my throat when I noticed the single photo clipped to the inside. There was a name clearly printed on a label at the bottom of the picture but my eyes couldn’t leave the mesmerizing blue ones in the photo. Those eyes were surrounded by black paint hidden under a black skull mask. I had seen that mask before and everytime it sent shivers down my spine. How could a mask bring upon such a unique bodily response? Or perhaps it was the man behind the mask.

The Vagabond.

The breath got caught in my throat now and I struggled to breathe. My eyes were not moving from the picture that sat in front of me. My focus was not moving or wavering in the slightest, but I still hadn’t even noticed that Mr. Burns was talking again. He snapped his fingers in front of my face and I jumped slightly, my hand resting on the knife at my hip on instinct. “Earth to Kelsey! Are you in?”  
I could tell he was searching my face to any clear signs of an answer or even an emotion. “Damn, you’re a lot better at this than I thought. You’ll be a great source of information.” I didn’t even realize I was nodding until I felt my hair tickling the side of my face. “This is excellent! It’s going to be a big hit for all of us!”

He continued speaking as I zoned out once more, looking down at the picture inside the file again. I knew of the Fakes, probably better than any other criminal in this town. I had a few run ins with them through my many years of numerous crimes. It was for the best that no one else put themselves in danger just for this information. If anyone had to do this job, I’m glad Mr. Burns chose me. “I think I need a drink.”

The words came out in a whisper which caused my boss to stop mid-sentence. He inspected my face and nodded with understanding. “Listen, why don’t you take the day off and gather everything you need for this job. You can start this piece tomorrow. I’ll expect weekly check-ins at the office with all the information you’ve gathered. I’ll also be calling you intermittently to see if there’s anything that needs to be taken care of immediately.”

I gave him a questioning look which made him laugh. “It will also be to check in on you and make sure nothing bad had happened to you. I must keep my best journalist healthy and safe. Take time today to wrap your mind around everything okay?” He piled all the files on top of each other and slid them over to me. I never had a reason to use my laptop bag until today, it was going to be a real bitch carrying these files home.


	3. Night Falls

I stood up and did my best to keep my legs from giving out on me. “I’ll be in touch.” Those were the last words spoken to me before I walked out of his office and closed the door behind me. I pulled the laptop bag out from under my desk and struggled to stuff all the files inside. My keys and jacket were next before I headed out the door. I made sure to walk at least four blocks down the street before I pulled out the picture from my back pocket.

Okay, so maybe I snuck the picture from the file into my pocket, so what? Those blue eyes were going to be the death of me. Those god damn blue eyes. Who knows if the Vagabond would literally be the death of me or not? The walk back to the parking lot was quiet for the most part. There were the usual blinking lights and sirens, people talking loudly over the phone and the racing of cars.

I checked my phone once I made it to my black unmarked car and noticed it was a little after nine. That conversation with Mr. Burns was a lot longer than I had thought. I knew I didn’t want to go home, at least not yet. Raking my brain I tried to think of a place to go where it would be remotely empty this time of day. I hadn’t noticed how ragged my breathing was until I felt the uneven rapid beating of my heart in my chest. A bar, that would definitely get me off the edge and ease my nerves.

Of all the bars in Los Santos there were very few that I hadn’t been familiar with. My hands slammed against my steering wheel and I felt the sting of the soft leather against my palms. I tucked the picture inside my jacket and cussed under my breath before driving off. Yeah, I was pissed. I was pissed that I had to do this piece and that my boss was taking advantage of me for my skills. I was mostly pissed that my boss had managed to figure out exactly who I was while not even the smartest gangsters could.

The bar was open, surprisingly at nine thirty in the morning. Walking in I took a seat down at the bar and ordered a shot of whiskey. The sound of glass hitting the wood in front of me knocked me out of thought. I silently thanked the bar tender with a nod and tilted my head back taking the shot. The burn down my throat into my stomach was warming and almost calming. The next time I checked my phone it was around noon as I heard more people coming in for lunch. 

There was no way I spent almost three hours in a bar in the morning, yet here I am. I was day drinking by myself and daydreaming of a man I had never met before. I hadn’t even started to collect the next shot in front of me before something caught me off guard. For some reason I thought today wasn’t going to get any worse, but I was wrong. The sound of a gunshot and glass shattering made me look up to the bartender cowering behind the safe. Next thing I knew my knife was embedded in the robber’s neck and I could hear the distinct sound of sirens in the distance. 

“You fucking prick.” I mumbled to myself. All I wanted was a nice distraction before my life became a hell of a lot harder but apparently the universe had different plans for me. I rapidly shrugged my jacket and bag back on my shoulders and chose not to stick around any longer, even though I wasn’t the real problem in this situation. Looking behind me, I noticed the cash register was open and there was a duffle bag of cash on the counter. At this point I didn’t even care, I just needed to get the hell out of there, even if it meant leaving all that money behind.

I was running faster than my legs could normally carry me while drunk. I could steal hear the sound of sirens ringing through the air as I ran faster towards my parked car. Normally I could handle my liquor very well but considering that I just killed someone and ran several blocks, the alcohol was taking over me. I got into my car and signed heavily, turning the key and speding away from the scene. The last thing I needed was the cops looking for me again. The music in my car was booming and I could feel it vibrating through my bones.

My mind wandered back to the robber at the bar and I laughed at how sloppy the work was. It was pretty clear that there was no plan other to get the money and get out, which in turn brought my attention back to the Fakes. After all, there was no way they could have pulled off something so small and so sloppy, they were always ones to be jealous of. I was getting closer to my neighborhood but for some reason they all looked the same and nothing like my apartment. No matter how hard I tried my mind could not get off the Fakes. I was silently hoping that they proved a bit of a challenge and made it an interesting mission. 

I could feel the alcohol draining from my system slowly as I rounded to corner to my apartment complex. I pulled into the garage I purposely paid extra for and stepped out of my car carefully. Normally I tried to avoid the Fakes, they were always too reckless, messy, and always getting the cops involved. When I reached my apartment, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it with a heavy sigh. It seemed like my luck had finally run out and that I was being thrown to the wolves. “I’m not ready for this.”

The Fakes were always on my radar so I made sure to check my databases and keep track of where they were whenever I could. My bag was thrown onto the couch and I let out a loud groan. I felt so stupid for not seeing any of this coming. Of course, Mr. Burns was never going to promote me, I should have known there was an ulterior motive behind his actions. It took a few minutes to put my shoes and jackets away and get myself situated on the couch with some water. I thought back to the conversation this morning and went over all the words in my head carefully.

“This is a death mission, but I can handle it. I’ve got those Fakes under my thumb and they don’t even know it.” I spoke to myself with a slight laugh, blaming it slightly on the alcohol. Of course I was better than them, I had proven that time and time again by purposefully fucking up their heists and missions whenever I was bored. I would even play the innocent card and look terrified, bat my eyes, and even cry when the police on the street would question me when I busted their heists. I shook my head and kept mumbling to myself, I had them wrapped around my finger after all.

Across the room I saw a shadow out the window by thought nothing of it, my apartment was a safe house after all. The thought of the Fakes struggling to find me made me smirk and relax. The water was cold in my hand and even colder as it trickled down my throat. If only they knew what hell was coming their way. I always considered myself an independent contractor so to speak. I offered my services to whoever was willing to pay, no matter who it was around the city.


End file.
